More matric certificate fraud
2006-01-16 16:24
Johannesburg - More matriculants are altering or forging matric certificates to gain jobs or university entrance, qualifications verification company Kroll MIE said on Monday.
About 14% of all queries that were submitted proved to be "problematic", said Kroll MIE chief executive Ina van der Merwe.
"The fact that the matric pass rate has declined for the second year in succession - to 68.3% - may be a contributing factor."
She said of the nearly 350 000 who passed matric, only 17% qualified for university entrance which may explain the increasing number of forged certificates submitted to academic institutions.
Kroll MIE's records showed that some students tampered with their certificates - by giving themselves passing grades in subjects they failed; adding fictitious subjects such as science and mathematics to their certificates or by forging their matric certificates altogether.
Also noted were candidates who upped their symbols to qualify for a specific university programme.
Low matric pass rates, increased unemployment in the formal job sector and under-qualification for specific university programmes were some of the reasons that certificates were tampered with, Van der Merwe said.
"It is common knowledge that subjects such as science, mathematics and accounting are in high demand and it is these subjects that are most often added or changed by job seekers."
Several academic institutions verified matric certificates and had adopted a "zero tolerance" stance on those found with tampered certificates, she said.
- SAPA